Bonfire Studios announced the early access release date for their team-based PvP game, Arkheron. Arkheron will release on Early Access on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox on November 27.
Arkheron is a multiplayer game with matches of 15 teams of three players each. While that sounds similar to something like Apex Legends, Arkheron features an isometric perspective, similar to an action-RPG or MOBA.
Every team battles as they ascend a mysterious, constantly shifting tower. The tower is also full of monsters, and everyone needs to fight and gear up to unlock new skills and combos.
Arkheron features a free-aim combat system. Players have to line up their shots, dodge out of the way, and use the environment to their advantage.
It feels like a weird time to launch ambitious, AAA PvP games. So many games struggle and fail, while the successful ones tend to be quirky, silly games that suddenly go viral.
Bonfire Studios was founded back in 2016 by former Blizzard Chief Creative Officer, Rob Pardo (aka, the lead designer of World of Warcraft). Arkheron, their debut title, has been in active development for at least eight years.
“We have a game we love. Arkheron creates the kind of wild, memorable player stories that only happen here, and we’re excited to open it up to more players. It’s still in development and a long way from the competitive experience we want it to be at 1.0. Early Access gives more players the chance to play while we keep cooking. We want to gather meaningful feedback, iterate alongside the community, and be transparent about what we’re working on.
“There’s still a lot of work ahead. We need to make Arkheron easier to learn and fights easier to read, add more depth to Ascension and Spires, and keep building out progression that gives you more to work toward and brings more of Arkheron’s world and lore into the game. We’ll keep improving the fundamentals players expect from a competitive game, including matchmaking, performance, and stability.”
The studio has been pretty quiet about the game. But that’s all going to change, with new details rolling out every week through the Early Access launch on November 27.
Arkheron is rated T for Teen.
